• © Kelly Tunney.
    © Kelly Tunney.
  • © Kelly Tunney.
    © Kelly Tunney.
  • © Kelly Tunney.
    © Kelly Tunney.
  • © Kelly Tunney.
    © Kelly Tunney.
  • © Kelly Tunney.
    © Kelly Tunney.
  • © Kelly Tunney.
    © Kelly Tunney.
  • © Kelly Tunney.
    © Kelly Tunney.
  • © Kelly Tunney.
    © Kelly Tunney.
  • © Kelly Tunney.
    © Kelly Tunney.
  • © Kelly Tunney.
    © Kelly Tunney.
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As photographers, we all want to try ideas, push creativity, and extend ourselves and our subjects as much as we can. But ultimately, unless you’re building ultimate trust, with no awkwardness, you will never get there. That’s where the confidence game comes into play.

The real you

Now you might think that what I’m talking about is having confidence in your equipment, in your technique, in your style, in your website, pricing structure, SEO strategy or your location. But I’m not. I’m talking about making sure your clients have confidence in you, because if they’re comfortable, that’s when the magic happens.

© Kelly Tunney.
© Kelly Tunney.

Although this may sound a bit round-about, but the first trick to making sure that your clients have confidence in you is by finding the clients that fit with you. You want to attract the kind of people that like your work, who feel that your style suits theirs; people that you have things in common with, so you can find that happy place where your ideas both cross over in some way.

To achieve this, you have to really consider the way that you put yourself out into the world. For me, it’s about being real and genuine. I’m not thinking of what my clients want me to say; instead I’m being who I am. I have a sense of humour, I’m irreverent, and I don’t take everything too seriously. I use words in a way so that when clients meet me, they feel that they already know me.

I’m always taking an interest in who I work with, matching my creativity to them. Never is it “all about me”, but it is about me connecting my ideas to theirs. What all of this does is to help build the level of confidence that your couples have in you, which in the end is about giving them a sense of freedom. If they’re not worried about you, or what you’re doing, then they’re going to just worry about being themselves, and that’s what you want to see.

© Kelly Tunney.
© Kelly Tunney.

Connections and communication

I like to connect with my clients by meeting them in person before their wedding, if I can. They see me being myself, and it’s very difficult to project that entirely and effective through a website or phone call alone. Once again, you’re building a bond, you’re developing faith, and, ultimately, trust.

As well as this, ongoing communication is so crucial. Check in with your couples, ask about the dress and the shoes, the suit, the location. All of this communication allows you to have a much closer attention to detail on the day, and in a service industry, those things go a long way to making a bride and groom feel at ease.  

© Kelly Tunney.
© Kelly Tunney.

A first time for everything

Remember too, that most likely, your bride and groom have never done any of this before, so you want to reassure them that they’re doing OK; and you’re a bit of a coach and a cheerleader in this regard. Some people think they have to confirm to what a blog or a tradition tells you, but a photographer has a unique insight and influence to give permission to a couple to be themselves.

Recently, this all came together for me in a shoot where everything seemed to go right, from beginning to finish, all because of the confidence we had in each other. In the first place, the couple had seen my work, had read my blogs and website, and had a feel for who I was. Equally, they were exactly the kind of couple that I love to work with; friendly, keen, up for a challenge, and with a love of quirky. Because I knew they were my kind of people, I put an idea to them, and they loved it. In fact, their response was, “You’re crazy! That’s why we picked you. Tell us what you need”. So, that was that, and we were doing it.

The end result was that they and every single one of their wedding guests took off their shoes at the reception, one at a time, to have them photographed against gorgeous bright, colourful round backdrops. They trusted me, they sold the idea to their guests, and the gang I had helping out stepped everyone through the process so it seemed like the most natural thing to do at a wedding.

That image went on to help me win the Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year in 2015 - the first female to do so in the history of the awards. But if I never had the confidence of that couple to do this whacky thing, it just wouldn’t have ever happened. Not only did it help me to win that award, more importantly, it is now the centrepiece of a beautiful album that that couple has to remember their day by. It just just one image out of a whole collection of photographs that captured that day, and you have to remember that. You’re not just there to get that one picture on a wedding day, you’re there to document the whole thing.

Ultimately, your success in the competitive wedding industry will boil down to four things: confidence, creativity, communication and connection with your clients. Get these things, and clients will be knocking down your door to book you.

About Kelly Tunney

Born and raised in Canberra, Kelly Tunney originally followed a traditional path. However, a couple of years working as a public servant soon cured her of that. After deciding that the clarinet was not her way to fame and fortune (no, that realisation didn’t come on band camp), Tunney decided that photography was her way to be awesome, and it’s been her life ever since.

Her images embody the way she relates to the world – they’re candid, honest, fearless and warm; and they always manage to find the amazing in everyone. Tunney relishes in the agony and ecstasy of imagining and creating contrasts to play with in her images. She secretly enjoy the rush that comes with the fear of pushing boundaries as far as they can be moved.

Even though she’s kind of short, don’t let that fool you; it just means that she gets a better angle on the world than everyone else. Tunney is also the current 2016 ACT Professional Photographer of the Year and the Wedding Photographer of the Year. In 2015, she was named AIPP Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year - the first female to ever win the prestigious award in its 40 year history.

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© Kelly Tunney.
© Kelly Tunney.